The Indigenous people of Nok are best known for their iron and terracotta works,

which may have influenced the later famous Ife (ee-feh) tradition. This seated
male figure could have represented an ancestor, ruler, or deity, or it may have
been a grave marker or decoration on a sacred building.

The title of Queen Mother, or Iyoba, is given to the woman who

bears the Oba's first son, the future ruler of the kingdom.
Historically, the Queen Mother would have no other children and,
instead, devote her life to raising her son.
Scholars believe that the Ife heads have a double significance. Firstly, they
are portraits of kings and other powerful individuals, who were also
considered by the Yoruba to be gods. Secondly, of all parts of the body,
the head was particularly important to the Yoruba.

The headdresses are used by the Chi Wara initiation society during
agricultural dances and rituals to encourage and celebrate successful
farmers. Traditionally, the headdresses depict male and female
antelopes, pangolin and/or aardvarks, and are secured to basketry hats.

The Benin Bronzes are a group of several thousand metal plaques

and sculptures that decorated the royal palace of the Kingdom of
Benin, in what is now Edo State, Nigeria. Collectively, the objects
form the best examples of Benin art and were created from the
thirteenth century by artists of the Edo people.

Referred to an adult woman who had given birth. The more recent
name, mwana pwo, probably adopted under European influence,
emphasizes youthful, feminine beauty. The artist carved this mask
with very delicate, even, thin walls from the wood Alstonia
(probably congensis).